Brickbat: Not Good Enough To Give Away

In Scotland, Nigel Carter collected 500 bicycles to send to Sudan, for people who need access to cheap transportation. But the Scottish Environment Protection Agency blocked the shipment after an inspector deemed the bikes unfit for use because some of them needed repairs. Carter said the bikes had only minor damage such as rust, broken brake cables, and chains that needed to be oiled. He also said that the charity he is working with in Sudan is aware of their condition. If Carter can't ship the bikes to Sudan, he said he may have to scrap them.

Comments

[Adans smith]

if you live in Sudan, an old rusty bike is the least of your worries.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Government is simply the name we give to the charity we choose to molest together.

[Chumby]

Someone here is kilting at windmills. Perhaps the rapefugees in England could use them more.

[rbike]

I went for a short bike ride this weekend. While riding, I hear a loud metallic pop and realize that the clamp bolt in my $90 Taiwanese made seatpost had failed due to tensile stress and corrosion. Fortunately, this has happened before, but I stayed upright as my seat assembly dissolved.

Bikes are dangerous. I have survived 55 years alongside them ever since I took off my training wheels at age 5.

Why do some here hate the Sudanese?

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live."
- Classic Mark Twain

"Get off that bicycle. You might hurt yourself."
- Classic Nanny

"Get that dirty bicycle out of here!"
- Classic Sudan NGO do-gooder

[Henry Porter]

The Death of Common Sense

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812982746/reasonmagazinea-20/

[Jerry B.]

The Scottish government is just protecting their bicycle repair industry.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

'But the Scottish Environment Protection Agency blocked the shipment after an inspector deemed the bikes unfit for use because some of them needed repairs.'

Um, why does the EPA have jurisdiction over bicycle condition or rider safety (and in another country)?

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Because we all speak English* and all the other words for theiving scumbag were taken?

*not the Queen's though, down with the monarchy.

[Quo Usque Tandem]

So Ellen Degeneres and her spouse have moved to Great Britain, supposedly because they don't like how things are in this country. I hope they enjoy their exponentially greater freedoms there...

[Chumby]

Ellen Degenitals is still a thing?

[Quo Usque Tandem]

Make of it what you will; funny part is that it does not even matter, not one iota:

"However, we did find evidence in November 2024 to suggest that DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, were leaving or had already left the U.S. to live in the U.K. Citing an anonymous source who is supposedly close to DeGeneres, The Wrap reported the couple told friends the election of Trump was their primary motivation for making the alleged move. Fox News Digital reported the couple sold their home in California in August. Snopes has yet to uncover firsthand evidence to corroborate those assertions regarding the couple's home and purported move."

[AT]

"Post-Menopausal Lesbians Flee America Over Concerns About Forced Pregnancies"

Sincerely,
-The Bee

[Jerry B.]

“The Pedal Cycles (and Use) Regulations 1983 only stipulate that every pedal cycle (the rules are slightly different for electrically-assisted bikes) should have two braking systems (one can be a back pedal-operated rear brake). The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 (amended several times) stipulate that bikes ridden at night must be fitted with white front and red rear lights, flashing or steady, as well as a red rear reflector.

All bicycles made after October 1st 1985 must also be fitted with amber pedal reflectors (on each pedal) when being ridden on a public road between sunset and sunrise, although fitting such reflectors is almost impossible with many ‘clipless’ pedal styles. It’s important to comply with these regulations as any slight illegality with respect to your lights or reflectors may be regarded as contributory negligence should you be involved in an accident at night.”

https://www.eta.co.uk/cycling-and-the-law#3

[yet another dave]

Just wait till you see the South Sudanese bicycle regulations, I bet those are even more regulationy... one cannot outrun warlords or gangs of slavers with a squeaky bike chain.

[John F. Carr]

Reminds me of when Apple dumped the remaining stock of Lisas in a landfill because tax law said that was the proper way to dispose of them.

[Jack Nunn]

Relabel the shipment as 'scrap metal' and send it again. There's no safety inspection on scrap metal.

[markm23]

Were there plans to send parts and oil along with the bikes for the Sudanese to do the work? That does seem like a good plan to me. Labor is much less expensive in Sudan, and it's even better when the recipients learn how to care for their bikes by fixing them up in the first place. Bikes are NOT made to go without maintenance; even if you shipped brand-new ones, if you give them to people who don't know how to take care of them, they'll be scrap in six months. OTOH, with just a little training, a bicycle is an introduction to mechanical work.